Armed Forces
14 thousand shells for Polish Leopards
Fot. Staff Sgt. Brian Cline / 2nd Theater Signal Brigade
The Armaments Inspectorate of the Ministry of National Defence has begun negotiations regarding the purchase of 120mm calibre high-explosive fragmentation ammunition for Leopard 2 tanks. Mesko S.A. Metal Works was contracted to supply 14 thousand shells in the 2014-2017 years.
The 120 mm x 570 mm ammunition with high-explosive fragmentation projectiles was officially introduced to the armament of the Polish Army in December 2012. As early as January 2013, a contract was signed for the delivery of 3300 shells of that kind, produced by the Mesko Works. 1500 pieces has been contracted for the 2013 and the next 1800 for the current year.
On 19th of August the Armaments Inspectorate sent to the European Union TED system (Tenders Electronic Daily) an information regarding the beginning of negotiations with Mesko Works that concerns the single-source procurement procedure for the delivery of 14 thousand 120 mm x 570 mm shells with high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for the Polish Army between 2014-2017.
In the explanatory statement for the adoption of such procedure, and the exclusion of public tender, the Armaments Inspectorate informs that the introduction of new type of shells would significantly complicate both the training process and the functioning of the supply chain and it would require purchasing the additional servicing equipment. First and foremost, it invokes the technical limitations of the fire control system of the Polish Leopard 2A4 tanks.
As mentioned in the explanatory statement for the adoption of the procedure “administrator indicates the lack of possibility to enter the ballistic data for the next type of high-explosive fragmentation shell to the fire control system (FCS) of the Leopard 2A4 tanks. The FCS of the Leopard 2A4 tanks that are in the resources of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Poland allows to enter additionally the ballistic data of one, however, such possibility is reserved for the planned acquisition of new pattern of 120x570 shells with sub-calibre projectile”.
This way two things were secured, the long-term supply of high-explosive fragmentation projectiles for Leopard 2A4 tanks as well as a big command for the Polish manufacturer. Within the framework of similar procedures, the Polish Army has contracted in July this year the supply of the first batch of artillery ammunition of 155mm for the Krab self-propelled howitzers.